Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-02-26
KITCHENS AND WAGES.


London Arab, in Bleak House, 8" but
that | don't know nothink, an star
wation." A Nihilist formula in most
expressive English! And this for
mula puts the case of many Ameri-
can citizens clearly and briefly be-
fore the world. We have had our
share of labor troubles, and the irIi-
tatlon which they produced has set
our thinkers Illuminating on causes.
Many have concluded that the work
ingmen are ignorant of the best
methods of serving their own inter.
ests, and must suffer accordingly
until knowledge comes to Them
Very few have thought what starva-
ton might have to do with chrome
discontent and dangerous agitation
We class ourselves with the few.
The people who dig for a living no
doubt suffer from ignorance, but
that they are thereby driven to des-
peration has never yet been proved.
1t has been our experience that the
multitude bear with many annoy
ances and privations that are bear
able. Only when the stomach is
deprived Of bread and the body OF
warm covering do they rise up in
anger against their condition.
1t looks communistic to assert
that in prosperous America there is
considerable starvation. Bnt starva-
ton is of two kinds-the direct pro.
cess which destroys life within a
fortnight, and the indirect which
tells only upon a generation. To
live, labor, aud bring up children on
food without nutrition, in. clothes
that give no warmth, and in houses
which afford only shan protection,
is to live and labor in a starving con-
dition. 1t is not tolerable. Men
can bear patiently almost any suffer
ing except that of hanging over a
precipice suspended by hair. And
this is the condition OF thousands in
America, who know not what fate
tomorrow holds in store for them.
They rarely know what it is to be
comfortably clothed, housed, and
fed; their children rarely feel that
supreme physical happiness. What
is this but slow starvation NJ And
where is the wonder that the multi
tude roughly kick against so un-
natural an agony? The starving of
a generation is not so tragic as the
starving of a man, but its results
are quite as painful.
Mr.. Atkinson, in the first of. his
papers in the Century on the /" Food
Question:" has estimated the cost of
maintaining one workman in the
matter of food and house room at
twenty-five cents day. Clothing
and other necessaries are not lnclud.
ed. The food furnished at this rate
is of fair quality aud of reasonable
quantity, and consists of good bread
and butter, tea and coffee at two
meals, meat and potatoes at one.
Mr.. Atkinson thinks that two child
rem can be maintained at the same
rate as one adult. A workman.
then, with his wife and four children,
In order to live in the common. un.
inviting fashion of boarders in a
factory lodging house, must earn
one dollar day towards the mere
housing and feeding of himself and
his family. For clothing, recrea-
ton, medicine, and education in
some cases nothing remains, in
others twenty-five cents day.
Now, where is the workman's op-
portunity for waste in his wages I
What he might be inclined to throw
away on drink extravaganza must
be expended on clothing.
The lowest grade of everything is